Pages

Monday, 20 April 2015

Review: Awakening (Children of the After #1) by Jeremy Laszlo

Goodreads Synopsis:

It has been six months since their
father locked them in the security vault with a promise to return. But he never
came back. With supplies running out and vital life support systems failing,
Jack, Samantha, and Will have no choice but to ignore their father’s warnings
and leave the vault. With no knowledge of what befell the world outside, or
what they might expect once the door is opened, they find themselves in a world
they do not recognize.

Thrust into the remains of the world they
remember, how will they survive on their own, not knowing what or who else
remains amongst the ruins?

Review:

***I received the ebook free as
a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

For such a short book, Awakening dragged like no-one’s business.
There was so much repetition in not just the writing but the plot; for a story
of survival there was plenty of actual existing and not much fear that something
might disrupt it. The only horror aspect was disregarded so quickly, until we
get a glimpse of something else at the end – and I just don’t know if it’s enough
to peak my interest for obtaining next instalments.

This is definitely one for younger audiences (which feels
weird to say since it’s labelled as horror) but following the journey of 3 kids
there was definitely a juvenile theme running through. The characters
themselves were incredibly well developed, and had adapted to the
circumstances. You see them move on from blindly following their parents’
wishes, to making their own choices.

I did love seeing the relationships between the three
because it captures how tragedy can bring people together so well, and was
enjoyable to see (if a bit predictable with regards to their roles as a unit).

To be honest, this wasn’t the book for me because there
wasn’t enough substance. Too many questions went unanswered – and they mainly
came from the characters themselves who were fixated and had to prove it by
repeating them again… and again… and again…

Favourite Quotes:

“It was odd how the world
could change you just by changing around you.”

“It was those small
moments of playfulness that still made them feel like family. Like kids. Those
moments were the speck of light in an otherwise vacant world of darkness and
uncertainty. She could only hope that after today. There would be more reason
for such moments.”

Disclaimer

I can guarantee that all of my reviews are honest, which includes the reviews I have written based on review copies I have received which are clearly specified. The fact that they are review copies has no impact on my thoughts and opinions stated in the review. I do not receive any form of monetary compensation for my reviews from authors/publishers.